Garden Blend Soup

Looking for something tasty and creamy that will give you lasting energy, but won’t take much of your precious free time? Then you’re in for a treat! Today I’m sharing one of my favourite raw recipes with you. I based this recipe on the “Garden Blend Soup” I prepared during my training at the Living Light Culinary Institute. It’s easy, quick and simply delicious.

Garden Blend Soup

SERVES: 2 generous bowls

EQUIPMENT: blender, rubber spatula

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cup purified water 
• 1 orange, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 2 cups leafy greens, packed*
• 1½ cup fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil…), packed
• 1 ½ tablespoon light miso
• ½ tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon garlic, crushed
• ½ green onion
• 6 drops of liquid stevia
• pinch of cayenne
• pinch of salt
• pinch of black pepper
• ½ avocado, peeled and seeded*²

*¹ I like a combination of red and green leaf lettuce, rocket and kale, but you can easily combine your own favourites like spinach, collard greens, chard, mustard greens, romaine lettuce…
*² If you prefer a creamier texture, you can add an entire avocado.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the water, orange, apple, miso, lemon juice, garlic, onion, stevia, cayenne, salt and black pepper, and blend until smooth.
2. Add the leafy greens and fresh herbs. Use the plunger to push the pieces down and blend until smooth.
3. Taste test. If you feel like the soup just needs that little extra, try to add another pinch of salt. If the soup is too bitter, you can add more stevia. If the soup is too sweet, add more greens. Don’t adjust too much; the creamy avocado will bring all the flavours together.
4. Add the avocado and blend briefly until smooth. If you blend the soup for too long, you will create air bubbles and those will affect the soup’s creamy texture.
5. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh herbs on top, preferably those you used in the soup.

JULIE’S TIPS AND TRICKS:

• You can replace the orange for freshly pressed orange juice. 1 orange equals ½ cup orange juice.
• If you like it hot, try to add ¼ chilli pepper instead of cayenne.
• Not so fond of the sweet taste? Start with eliminating the stevia. Still too sweet? Replace ½ orange or ¼ cup orange juice with additional water.
• Try adding Chinese cabbage or cucumber for extra freshness and taste. Adjust the total amount of water if you add these, since both are very high in water content.
• Got some soup left? Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy it the next day.